Fuel gas production method and apparatus

Abstract

A fuel gas production apparatus includes a vaporization mechanism, a reforming mechanism, a PSA mechanism, a supply passage, a combustion air supply mechanism and an ECU. The vaporization mechanism has a combustion catalyst for vaporizing a fuel. The reforming mechanism reforms the vaporized fuel to obtain a reformed gas. The PSA mechanism refines the reformed gas by removing impurities to produce a fuel gas. The impurities removed by the PSA mechanism are continuously supplied as a heat source fuel to the vaporization mechanism through the supply passage. The combustion air supply mechanism supplies combustion air to the vaporization mechanism. The ECU controls the amount of the combustion air supplied to the vaporization mechanism synchronously with the change in the amount of heat energy of the impurities supplied to the vaporization mechanism.

1. A method of producing a hydrogen-rich fuel gas comprising the steps of:
 reforming a fuel to obtain a reformed gas; 
 supplying said reformed gas to a pressure swing adsorption mechanism for removing impurities from said reformed gas to refine said reformed gas into the hydrogen-rich fuel gas; 
 supplying said impurities to a heating unit as a heat source fuel, and supplying combustion air to said heating unit for inducing combustion; and 
 controlling an amount of said combustion air supplied to said heating unit synchronously with the change in flow rate of said impurities supplied to said heating unit with a regulating element. 
 
     
     
       2. A fuel gas production method according to  claim 1 , wherein the amount of said combustion air supplied to a combustion catalyst is controlled by an air compressor and when said pressure swing adsorption mechanism has stopped previously according to a sequence, an operation program for controlling the amount of said combustion air supplied to said heating unit is started, and when said pressure swing adsorption mechanism has not stopped previously according to the sequence, operation of said air compressor is started at a constant number of revolutions which is a predetermined number or less. 
     
     
       3. A fuel gas production method according to  claim 2 , wherein after said operation program of said air compressor is started, temperature of said heating unit is detected, and if the detected temperature is not within a predetermined range of temperature, revolution of said air compressor is controlled. 
     
     
       4. A fuel gas production apparatus for reforming a fuel to produce a hydrogen-rich fuel gas, comprising:
 a vaporization mechanism having a combustion catalyst for vaporizing said fuel; 
 a reforming mechanism for reforming said vaporized fuel to obtain a reformed gas; 
 a pressure swing adsorption mechanism for removing impurities from said reformed gas to refine said reformed gas into the hydrogen-rich fuel gas; 
 a supply passage for continuously supplying said impurities discharged from said pressure swing adsorption mechanism to said combustion catalyst or another unit which requires a heat source fuel; 
 a regulating element coupled to said supply passage for regulating an amount of said impurities supplied to said combustion catalyst; 
 a combustion air supply mechanism for supplying combustion air to said combustion catalyst; and 
 a control unit programmed to control an amount of said combustion air supplied to said combustion catalyst synchronously with the change in flow rate of said impurities supplied to said combustion catalyst via said regulating element. 
 
     
     
       5. A fuel gas production apparatus according to  claim 4 , further comprising an air compressor for controlling the amount of said combustion air supplied to said combustion catalyst.